[BC] That EAS Handbook

[patrick roberts]

What staff?  LOL!

Seriously, with the way things are going these days, the FCC needs to
start thinking about designing their rules around automatic and
walk-away and not an 'operator'.  We the engineers in many cases are
the 'operator'.  Test rules should be changed to where we could run
tests at a specific time every week at 3am or whatever.  The idea that
a local station would take it apon itself to originate a real alert is
only wishful thinking at 99.9 percent of the stations in this country
now.  Tests are just that.  They should test the equipment and not the
people IMHO.  If the equipment can repeat the message properly from
the authorities, I feel we, as broadcasters, have done our part in the
system.  If the government needs to find the real failures in the
system, it needs to go look at government itself.  State governments
are lethargic and apathetic, unwilling in most cases to take the
initiative to even go through the basic steps to test the system from
their level when it comes down to actually doing the tests.  Some
states are in total shambles at the state level.  Our EAS committee
does an excellent job of herding cats, but I have heard of several
states where that's not the case.

Then, there's the national alert and how it is supposed to work.  Rest
assured many parts of the country won't be covered properly if a alert
was sent.  It's a backbone problem and not a local station problem,
yet we still get to have the burden of paperwork and test games.  I'm
all for good access to broadcast stations for emergency messages but
it just seems like a huge waste of our time if it's not going to work
right anyway.

Sorry for the rant.  Reading through the book, it's actually written
pretty good for OPERATORS.  I just see it as not useful in so many
ways.  The book aught to be written with specific information geared
towards station technical staff and not the operator giving specific
things like where the EAS box should be located in the air chain and
levels, and requirements on documentation. (yes it's in the rules, but
a one-stop spot for the info should be in the book)  Another thing is
if we are required to log stuff and check stuff, how about a standard
logging form in the book?  Wouldn't it be easier if we were all using
the same way of documenting things? The best way for EAS to work and
work right at a local level is with no staff intervention other than
the engineering staff making sure its functional.

PR